The 46-year-old had a long association with Watford, playing for the club between 2002 and 2005, before working his way up from U18 coach in 2007 to assistant manager and finally enjoying one season as the club's manager in the 2011/2012 campaign.

Dyche left when the Pozzo family brought the Hornets in the summer of 2012, which happened to be the same time that Mariappa's long first spell at Vicarage Road came to an end.

Adrian Mariappa won the player of the season award in 2011/2012, when Sean Dyche was his boss (Getty Images)

Mariappa returned to his boyhood club 16 months ago, whilst Dyche has been the main man at Turf Moor for more than five years now, overseeing two Championship winning seasons as well as seeing Burnley secure the second successive season in English football's top-flight for the first time since the mid-1970s.

That has seen his stock rise, although he was surprisingly overlooked for Everton's recent vacancy, and Mariappa says his former boss deserves all the praise he gets.

Dyche had some kind words to say about Mariappa too, who he also played alongside in a reserve game when the centre-back was beginning to make his way in the game.

"Maps, in a rare reserve game for me – I wasn't dropped very often - I think it was Charlton away, he played alongside me as a young kid and I thought then he was decent, for a small 'un he's decent," Dyche told the local press in Burnley.

"Very professional, very athletic. He's gone on to have a fantastic career."